60 Bigfoot Motors

[Greyghost]

Hi all I plse need some help. I have just bought a Cobra Cat 500 from Mallards in dbn and took her out on the water for the 1st time ( I live in Pretoria) so boat has moved from the coast inland.

I had a lot of problems with the engines not wanting to start and the one engine keeps on cutting out , is there different settings needed for the engines. The boat has 2 60 bigfoot motors on. Another question where can I have the boat looked at and serviced in Pta the controlls are also very stiff.

Tks

 

 

[The Boatman]

Hi Greyghost

I also have 2 Mariner 60hp Bigfoots on my RIB. First time I tried to start her I had the same problems as the engines had been standing for about 2-3 months. Struggling to start and if they start only runs for a short time.

Took it to one of the marine workshops and they said the carbs were fouled up and sticky because of the 2 stroke in the fuel standing in the engine for to long. They gave it a clean out and cost me R250-00.

She now runs like a dream!!  Hope you get your problem solved soon!!

 

 

[The Boatman]

Sorry forgot to mention if you look at previous posts and advise from the experienced guys you'll see that 80% of the problems starts with the fuel system.

It sounds like yours might be the same!!

 

[Dorado75]

Hi Greyghost

Are those the 2 or 4 strokes? I have the 60 Bigfoot 4 strokes on my boat, i had a similar problem when i bought the boat where one engine would not idle and kept on cutting out, I took them to a mechanic and they found that the throttle setting were way out, after a few adjustments everything was sorted!

 

[Sailfish]

The Boatman wrote:

Hi Greyghost

I also have 2 Mariner 60hp Bigfoots on my RIB. First time I tried to start her I had the same problems as the engines had been standing for about 2-3 months. Struggling to start and if they start only runs for a short time.

Took it to one of the marine workshops and they said the carbs were fouled up and sticky because of the 2 stroke in the fuel standing in the engine for to long. They gave it a clean out and cost me R250-00.

She now runs like a dream!!  Hope you get your problem solved soon!!

 

You are 100% on that one. I usally run the motors dry when i flush. Disconect the feul line and run them at idle til you hear the whant to stop. The needle and seet is what gets sticky and that is when one or two carbs dont fill to appropiate feul level. You can strip and clean the carbs yourself and wil take you +/- 30min per motor.

The controle cables you need to take off and let them ly submurge in hydraulic fluid. Also make sure they are well greased at the ends after refitting them. You can also spray with Combat or Q20 at the highest point and see if they move more freely afterwards.Try and move them up and down when doing this.

 

[Phelan]

Hi everybody. Long time lurker, first time poster

Sailfish wrote:

You are 100% on that one. I usally run the motors dry when i flush. Disconect the feul line and run them at idle til you hear the whant to stop. The needle and seet is what gets sticky and that is when one or two carbs dont fill to appropiate feul level. You can strip and clean the carbs yourself and wil take you +/- 30min per motor.

The controle cables you need to take off and let them ly submurge in hydraulic fluid. Also make sure they are well greased at the ends after refitting them. You can also spray with Combat or Q20 at the highest point and see if they move more freely afterwards.Try and move them up and down when doing this.

Sailfish, this is something only experianced people should do.

No doubt that it works, but perhaps if you explain to the "less experianced" that the motor "leans" out when the fuel starts running out in the Carburetor Bowls. And what the dangers are of an overly lean mixture?

 

[Greyghost]

Tks guys the boat was standing for a long time so I will have the carbs cleaned out, I thought that might be the problem. So if you are at coast or inland you dont have to tamper with settings of motors at all ?.

Will rather get a pro to take a look at throttle controls, Tks again for feedback

 

[Rory]

put some carb cleaner through just take off air cleaner and start them on muffs and spray into each carb till motor dies leaver for 20 min then restart motor it will smoke like mad for a while then should be ok. If they are really dirty then need to be stripped.

for control cables make sure there are no sharp bends you can soak them in desol to soften the lube in them but best just to get new extreame cales very smooth

 

[Sailfish]

Phelan wrote:

Hi everybody. Long time lurker, first time poster

Sailfish wrote:

You are 100% on that one. I usally run the motors dry when i flush. Disconect the feul line and run them at idle til you hear the whant to stop. The needle and seet is what gets sticky and that is when one or two carbs dont fill to appropiate feul level. You can strip and clean the carbs yourself and wil take you +/- 30min per motor.

The controle cables you need to take off and let them ly submurge in hydraulic fluid. Also make sure they are well greased at the ends after refitting them. You can also spray with Combat or Q20 at the highest point and see if they move more freely afterwards.Try and move them up and down when doing this.

Sailfish, this is something only experianced people should do.

No doubt that it works, but perhaps if you explain to the "less experianced" that the motor "leans" out when the fuel starts running out in the Carburetor Bowls. And what the dangers are of an overly lean mixture?

The 60 bigfoot motors are outolubes. So no danger here with lean mixture when it runs out of feul. It is the same prosess of the motor dieing at see when you run out of feul and have to change feul tanks. There you just run out on 3/4 throttle and here you do it under idle. That is why i said as soon as you here they start to die, you cut them. It is only to get the float inside littelbit down in the carb to lift the needle from the seat. Now the outbourd oil cant get sticky in that spot.

 

[Phelan]

The point I am trying to make is this.

A carbureutor is made to run with the fuel at a certain level in the Bowl. As the level drops the fuel/air mixture changes. At the point where the motor starts starving for fuel the mixture is allready dangerously low.

As you rightly point out, the effect on "older" type Pre-mix motors is even more profound as there you also have to take into account the fuel/oil ratio.

The experianced guys all know to cut the motor at the first splutter. In fact, I use exactly the same method that you describe.

On the other hand, I have personally seen less experienced guys push that poor motor to the absolute limmit. To the point that I have had to stop a guy from trying to use the "fast-idle" lever and Choke to try as he put it "clean his carbs". All because he "read somewhere". These are the guys that scare me! :swear

I don't know about you guys but I have an inordinate amount of mechanical sympathy. So i do probably bay my motor. Then again, it is the only one that I have!


You hear people talk about common sense. Aparantly, sense is not all that common!

 

[dugongboy]

Howzit Greyghost

I have a 60 Bigfoot that had the same problem - it battled to coldstart and when running under load it only ran on 2 cylinders(coil/plug or fuel problem), by a process of elimination I worked out that it was a fuel problem. The boat came from Pretoria so the carbs were tuned for altitude (airscrew adjustment) and the carb/carbs needed cleaning - R1600 later for a full service which included stripping the carbs and tuning on the water and it is sorted. (well I hope so as I still have to test myself as I only got it back on Saturday)

R1600 is expensive, but for peace of mind whilst on the water it is probably worthwhile.

As a quickfix try turning all 3 airscrews half a turn out to compensate for the altitude.

 

[dugongboy]

dugongboy wrote:

Howzit Greyghost

I have a 60 Bigfoot that had the same problem - it battled to coldstart and when running under load it only ran on 2 cylinders(coil/plug or fuel problem), by a process of elimination I worked out that it was a fuel problem. The boat came from Pretoria so the carbs were tuned for altitude (airscrew adjustment) and the carb/carbs needed cleaning - R1600 later for a full service which included stripping the carbs and tuning on the water and it is sorted. (well I hope so as I still have to test myself as I only got it back on Saturday)

R1600 is expensive, but for peace of mind whilst on the water it is probably worthwhile.

As a quickfix try turning all 3 airscrews half a turn out to compensate for the altitude.

Tried starting on Friday and guess what?????

Two batteries later and no go!! I phoned the service manager and tried everything he sugested - now I am wondering if they even stripped the carbs??how does a carb flood?? surely if the float levels are set and the jets/needle and seat are clean then it should be ok??

Imagine getting your car back from a service and it won't start!!

I am waiting for them to call me as promised.................................................................................................we'll see!!???